Category Archives: Kents Home

Healthy Eating in 2019

Making healthy eating a “resolution” can be tricky! It seems easy to tell yourself at the beginning of the year that you are going eat healthier and make some big changes! But soon you realize that “resolution” has faded away and you are back to your old ways.

Instead of making a resolution why not make a life style change? Taking away the deadline of a resolution can help reduce the stress and pressure of this big change in your life! Here are a few ways to get you started on the right track!

Meal Prep: Take any day of the week (preferably Sunday) and set aside about an hour to prep your meals for the week. It may seem daunting at first but once you have ready made meals you will thank yourself! Meal prepping cuts out the urge to eat out and will in turn save money. Win, Win!!

Prep your fruits and vegetables: How many times have you got home from the grocery store and just threw your fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator and forgotten about them? Don’t let those go to waste! You are more likely to eat them when they are prepped and ready for you! When you get home, wash and cut them up! Place them in little bags or containers! Boom! Ready to eat!

Eat Naked: No… I don’t mean that eating while naked. I mean, eat foods that don’t come packaged. Fruits, vegetables, fresh meats from the deli, nuts and seeds that you can buy in bulk!

Invest in a good blender. Smoothies are a really good way to get a nice treat without all of the sugar! Plus, you can add vegetables like spinach and carrots to make it extra healthy without even tasting it! You can also meal prep smoothies! Have them in the freezer and ready to just dump into the blender! Time saving and healthy! Can’t go wrong there!

Read the labels: Make sure you are reading the labels of what you are buying! Look for whole ingredients. And, the less ingredients the better!!

Grocery Shopping from my Bed

I never thought the day would come when I could snuggle into my big cozy bed, throw the covers over myself, and do a whole month’s worth of… yep… you guessed it, GROCERY SHOPPING! There was absolutely no hesitation when grocery pick-up became available to me! I jumped on that train in less than a heartbeat!

I’m a mom of two young boys and a wife to a husband who works a lot of crazy hours. So, that leaves me to do most of the household chores. I can handle the dishes, the endless amounts of laundry, the mopping, and the constant picking up. I can handle the vacuuming and the dusting. I can even tackle the lawn in record time. But grocery shopping is the most dreaded chore of all.

You can say I’m a little “type A” especially when it comes to grocery shopping. I still write lists in the order of where the items are located in the store, starting with the outside aisles and working my way in. I like things to be neat, organized, and smooth sailing. But add two boys (ages 5 and 3) to the mix and it is just a recipe for disaster! Might as well rip the list up in the car before entering the store. Because it’s guaranteed that I will forget at least 3 of those items! Hot mess mom coming through.

My kids are (mostly) well behaved but there is just something about entering the market that turns them into complete monsters. I may have been a little naive when they were younger, thinking… “This will get easier the older they get.” Believing they would be able to walk nicely beside me while I calmly stroll the aisles. I imagined they would not hang off of the grocery cart like little monkeys, or running down aisles, or touching everything in their sight. Not whining and begging to buy everything with a sugar content higher than the temperature outside (ok, a little exaggeration, but really… they aren’t begging for that broccoli in the produce aisle). Nope. No such luck for me. Grocery shopping with two boys has become an Olympic sport for myself. I have come out of the market after an hour feeling like I just ran a marathon. Please tell me I’m not the only one who has felt this way?

So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard you can actually order groceries online and pick them up at a time you reserve! This has been a huge life-saver! I can get my boys off to bed at night, sit in a quite home and add groceries to my cart with the click of a mouse. The process is so simple and very organized! Right up my ally!!

I have had people ask me if I would trust some random person to pick out my meat and produce. My answer: absolutely! I like to shop LOCAL and most small markets offer a produce guarantee. So, that is just a no brainer! I have yet to receive a bad order of produce or meat! In fact, I would say they do a better job than myself, I mean… they are the experts, right?

The best part of grocery pick-up is, well, the pick-up!! I have the option to go into the store or have my groceries delivered to my car. I like to save myself the car-seat shuffle (moms… you get me?) and have them brought out to me! I’m always greeted with warm and friendly customer service, which is always a plus! They place my groceries in my car and I’m off. You just can’t beat a 10-minute grocery trip! Am I right? What a pleasant experience! So, whether you are a mom or not I highly recommend giving it a try! I think you will be surprised by how enjoyable and time efficient grocery shopping can actually be!

Choosing the best fruits or vegetables at the market shouldn’t be a mystery! Take the guess work out when you are shopping and follow these simple guidelines to pick the best of our favorite summer-time produce!

– Watermelons – Pick one that sounds hollow. You don’t want a ping (underripe) or a thud (overripe).

– Avocados, Peaches and Nectarines- choose firm, no bruising, nice colors. A little softer can be good though, as it will be a little sweeter.

– Cantaloupe – Look for a firm button, and you want to be able to smell the actual melon when you bring it close to your nose.

– Cherries – Darker color means sweeter. Look for firmer ones.

– Pineapple – It’s all about the color! Pineapples do not ripen after they are harvested, so the more yellow, the riper. Get a grip on the stem, if it’s very easy to pull out, it’s overripe. Too hard, underripe. Find a good middle ground.

And, if you have any hesitations, feel free to ask any of our produce experts! We are sure to lead you into the right direction and always happy to help!

In today’s world it seems the cost of everyday items keep going up, while our wages are staying the same. It is essential to save money where we can to maintain financial stability. Food is a huge one. We have to eat. There is just no way around that. Finding ways to save money in the grocery store can significantly cut everyday costs! Here are a few tricks to help you start saving today.

BUY IN BULK

When food items with a long shelf life go on sale, stock up! Buy items that you like and are sure to use! If you have a lot of freezer space, buying meats and vegetables in bulk while they are on sale is an excellent idea!

MAKE A GROCERY LIST AND A PLAN BEFORE GOING TO THE STORE!

When you head into the grocery store without a plan or a list you are more likely to buy random items that you don’t actually need. Making a list will help keep you on the right track and only buying the essentials. And, in turn, saving a lot of money!

UTILIZE LOYALTY PROGRAMS

Many grocery stores offer loyalty programs that you can sign up for to get items at a discount price! These programs don’t take a lot of time to sign up for but they can sure save you a lot of money!! Sign up for the programs!!

BONUS

Apps such as IBOTTA are a great way to get some cash back!! IBOTTA is a free app that offers coupons and cash back on thousands of products. Shoppers earn by performing easy tasks, purchasing products, then providing proof of purchase (your receipt). It really is THAT simple!! Shopper Radar is also a great app, earn cash back just by shopping! Download the apps…because, who doesn’t love getting free cash for shopping??

SHOP SEASONALLY

Fruits and vegetables that are in season are typically less expensive than those that are not. Plan your meals with items that are in season to be sure you are saving every time.

BUY STORE BRANDS

This is undoubtedly one of the best ways to save! Unless there is a sale going on, the generic brand is almost always cheaper. A lot of times, some store brands are actually produced by national brand companies. Which means you are buying basically the same product at a fraction of the price!

These apps are great ways to save money on many common items at the grocery store. Manufacturers now use platforms like these to push their coupons for items they are trying to promote. Using them is pretty easy. Just setup an account, select a coupon online, then shop at your favorite store. When you use the apps in conjunction with your Kent’s Kickbacks Phone Number, the proof of purchase goes automatically to the manufacturer, and you receive money in your account almost immediately! You can cash out when you reach a certain threshold, usually $20. This is like free money!

Find Ads Online

Many retailers, including Kent’s Market, post their ads online. Not online that, but they will often post extra deals for online shoppers. Because they save money on advertising costs by having you find them on the internet, rather than printing and sending to you, you’ll often find great deals on online-online sales. Be sure to sign up weekly emails or follow your favorite store on social media.

Online Loyalty and Digital Coupons

Many grocers now have loyalty programs that tie to customer specific offers, similar to the Kent’s Kickbacks program. These are great ways for you to find offers that are custom to you! You can clip digital coupons online, add them to your account, then use your loyalty phone number when checking out and the savings will roll off your purchase automatically! To make it even sweeter, most rewards programs will give you a % back on your purchase. Access your account balances, coupons, etc on online portals like Kent’s Grocery Kickbacks portal.